World Cup News

Teutonia, Brazil – Douglas Silva from Sao Leopoldo, Brazil laid down a blistering run on his home course that was a full three seconds faster than defending champion Kevin Reimer to establish himself as the clear favorite after the first day of qualifying.

The first day of the Malarrara Pro Teutonia World Cup was delayed by wet conditions that made the track unsafe until it dried. Unofficial speeds in excess of 70 mph were seen regularly once practice got underway in the world’s fastest downhill skateboard race. Competitors worked their way up the start first from two lower starts before running the course from the top. Due to the delays, the first run from the top was also the rider’s first qualifying run.

Newly crowned IGSA World Champion Scoot Smith describes the hill as straight but technical. The hill has very few corners but the uneven pavement and the constant up and down sections induce speed wobbles and keep the skaters constantly on their toes. Although very straight compared to most World Cup tracks, Teutonia tests every bit of the rider’s skills.

Following Reimer was Everton Alves in third from Osasco, Brazil. Mischo Erban was fourth and feeling confident that he could improve on his time since it was only his first time down from the top. Rounding out the top five was Rafael Finck from Vermelho, Brazil.

Many of the other top riders like Scoot Smith, Erik Lundberg and Pete Connolly seemed to share Erban’s sentiments that they could improve their times once they had some more runs from the top. Tomorrow will be very interesting.

On Saturday the IGSA will also set up their speed trap to see what kind of speeds the riders are actually turning. Teutonia is definitely one of the fastest hills in the world and the official world speed records are expected to fall tomorrow. We’ll have a full report on Saturday evening.